Rebirth: I am in Jin-Cha-Ji

That is because business is developed in the Kuomintang-controlled areas, so there are many small businessmen of all kinds.

The Eighth Route Army base areas were not welcoming to merchants, so there were few small businesses. This is actually a misconception. To put it bluntly, it's all related to the issue of taxation.

The Nationalist government could not collect taxes from small businesses. Small businesses made no contribution to the Nationalist government's tax collection. Therefore, whether small businesses survived in their localities, burdened by various exorbitant local taxes and levies, or bullied by local bullies, the Nationalist government paid little attention. Nor would it introduce any policies to protect these small businesses. Their lives and deaths had no impact on the Nationalist government's finances.

But the Eighth Route Army is different.

Among the tax revenue of the Eighth Route Army base, commercial taxes contributed by merchants were a very important part.

Don't think our Party was founded in the countryside, and therefore only values ​​rural work. This is not the case. For a force like the Eighth Route Army, which is extremely short of funds, any industry that can generate tax revenue will be strongly supported.

Therefore, the Eighth Route Army base was very supportive of small businessmen.

There are also various policies to protect merchants.

As a result, commercial activities in the Eighth Route Army base areas were very prosperous. Especially in the counties and towns controlled by the Eighth Route Army, there were many small merchants. However, this kind of commercial behavior also needed to be controlled.

There can't be any chaos.

Therefore, every Eighth Route Army base had an organization to manage business.

"Director Gao, what do you know about the situation of the Eighth Column?"

“It was an eye-opener for me.”

"How to say?"

Gao Weinong was actually a member of the Kuomintang.

They were also members of the Kuomintang during the Northern Expedition. Hong Man and Gao Weinong were very famous in the Tianjin area, and both had very good reputations.

Not only did they open schools for civilian education, but when they were professors at universities, they also used various methods to ensure that all students could study smoothly.

A lot of their salary was used to subsidize students from poor families. Because they actively promoted popular education in Tianjin, participated in the literacy campaign, and treated their students well, they were able to gain a very high reputation. Therefore, the local Kuomintang organization also attached great importance to them.

He also sent people to contact Hong Man, Gao Weinong, Sui Twelve and others.

The Jidong Uprising was divided with the last bit of strength.

The Eighth Route Army comprised 70%, the Kuomintang 20%, and the remaining 10% was a mixed bag. Many were local tyrants eager to seize the opportunity. Logically, Hong Man and Gao Weinong were both Kuomintang members, and senior figures at that, but they decided to join the Eighth Route Army. This was due to their understanding of the Nationalist government's failure, as well as the active work of the Hebei Provincial Government and the Jire Border Special Committee. It was precisely because of Gao Weinong's background that, while he was more supportive of the Eighth Route Army's ideas and willing to join them, his understanding of the Eighth Route Army was still superficial. His arrival at the Eighth Column, and two months of investigation, was truly eye-opening.

This was his first time to get to know the Eighth Route Army’s base.

Many things are simply unimaginable.

"If I hadn't known this was the Eighth Route Army base, I would have thought I'd arrived in some commercial city. I never imagined the Eighth Route Army placed so much emphasis on business. This time, I was shocked. There are so many merchants flowing into many places in the Eighth Column. The areas controlled by the Eighth Column are very poor in our country, but there are so many merchants flowing in. It's really unexpected."

"Director Gao, our Eighth Route Army is establishing a base behind enemy lines, surrounded by enemies. Many daily necessities must be purchased from outside. If we don't develop trade within our base, we'll be short of many things, even daily necessities. Therefore, we generally support trade. It's not just to bring the necessary daily necessities to the base, but also to increase its income."

"This is a very good idea. Sharing what we have and what we don't have, and developing the base's economy, will make the people in the base more supportive of our base regime."

Gao Weinong thought that all Eighth Route Army cadres were very serious.

Or they are all idealists.

But after arriving at the Eighth Column, he discovered that its cadres were truly young. Too young, even. For example, the political commissar before him was considered the top leader of the Party and government in the Eighth Column's base area, and even the top leader of the Party, government, and military.

But he's not even 24 yet.

Surprisingly young.

But his skill was real. Even Gao Weinong admired him. The officers and soldiers of the guerrilla corps were eager to fight their way back to eastern Hebei. Their ideological problems were something neither Hong Man nor Gao Weinong could appease. Homesickness was a truly thorny issue.

But the young man in front of him had a solution.

Of course, it’s mainly down-to-earth.

Although Hong Man and Gao Weinong believed they could communicate seamlessly with ordinary people and understood their perspectives, having promoted civilian education in Tianjin, their perspectives were profoundly impacted after they arrived at the Eighth Column.

How high is Wei Hongjun's rank?

He was the political commissar of the Eighth Column, commanding over ten thousand troops and a base area spanning eight counties. Yet, this cadre trained, ate, and talked with the soldiers from eastern Hebei every day. He was practically the same person as them, eating and wearing the same clothes, making it impossible to tell who was who.

Gao Weinong also went to listen.

Nothing found.

Normally, they would just chat about family matters, hometown events, and even joke around. But within just over half a month, the mood of the officers and soldiers of the Guerrilla Corps began to stabilize. A month later, these officers and soldiers began to actively integrate into the 8th Column, and the training process became increasingly smooth.

He was very shocked.

How do you do it?

In fact, Gao Weinong still doesn't understand how Wei Hongjun did it. Hong Man and Gao Weinong, after all, are intellectuals. No matter how much they believe they understand ordinary people, they always have an inexplicable sense of superiority, something they themselves haven't noticed. Even outsiders haven't noticed it.

They were usually approachable and never seemed to act aloof. Yet, they also possessed the inner qualities of intellectuals. Although they didn't express them, there was a barrier between them and the common people. Before they received revolutionary education, it was impossible for them to fully integrate into the ranks of the "peasant peasants."

But Wei Hongjun is different.

Wei Hongjun was born into a common family in his previous life. Although he studied hard and earned a master's degree, eventually becoming a grassroots worker, he was still an ordinary person at heart. In this time and space, he was born into a family of eight generations of poor peasants.

Having been in the army for a long time, Wei Hongjun is very down-to-earth when he is with these soldiers. Many of his words can speak to the hearts of the soldiers.

That's why we can quickly stabilize their emotions.

Although Gao Weinong didn't know what method Wei Hongjun used, he believed that he did not have the ability to stabilize these people's emotions.

Therefore, Gao Weinong was very satisfied with his choice of the Eighth Route Army.

"Director Gao, the reason I asked you to be the director of my Cha'nan Trade Office is not just to manage these merchants. In fact, there are more important things I want to entrust to Director Gao."

"Commissar, you go ahead."

"I am not only the political commissar of the Eighth Column, but also the secretary of the Chanan Special Committee, responsible for the development of the entire base area. I am not only considering the current situation, I am also considering the future situation. Director Gao, the place where our Eighth Column is located will definitely be the focus of the Japanese army's crackdown in the future.

As we build the Chahar base in southern Taiwan, and then expand into the Chahar east and Chahar north, we will become the first target of the Mongolian garrison. Furthermore, our threat to the Pingsui Railway directly impacts connections between Hebei, Chahar, Er, Suiyuan, and northern Shanxi. The Japanese forces coming to suppress us will increase in number, and the base's economy will become increasingly difficult. Relying solely on the current merchants coming to our base to do business will simply not be able to meet future needs. I must plan for a rainy day.

Gao Weinong listened very carefully to what Wei Hongjun had to say.

Because even he had been investigating the Eighth Route Army for two months, and although he had some ideas, he had not considered these issues. Moreover, Gao Weinong also wanted to hear what unique insights Wei Hongjun, a "peasant" political commissar of the Eighth Route Army, had on economics and business.

"I've been constantly learning about the situation in our base area. Cha'nan, Cha'dong, and Cha'bei are all relatively poor areas. But while they're poor, they don't lack the foundation for development. These areas are typically small in population and mountainous. In the past, there were many policy repressions and other issues, so the development of arable land was limited. But since the Eighth Column began establishing its base area, we've been encouraging farmers to reclaim wasteland, and encouraging our army, logistics agencies, local forces, and local governments to do the same according to their circumstances. Our Eighth Column plans to add at least 5000 mu (approximately 8000 acres) of arable land to our Cha'nan, Cha'dong, and Cha'bei base areas within the next two years. Even if the per-mu yield of these newly reclaimed land isn't very good, it can still add to million jin (approximately to kg) of grain to the region. The entire Chahar region currently has a population of only about two million, and the area we currently control has a population of around to .

If we can increase grain production by 5000 million jin, then our base will have a surplus of grain, and we can easily adjust some of it for sale. Even as the area of ​​our base increases, it is not impossible to reclaim 100 million mu of wasteland."

"Although our base area cannot compare to the hundreds of thousands of acres of cotton bases in central Hebei, we have also been an important cotton producing area in history. I am already planning to start planting cotton in some areas of our base area. Cotton is not only needed by us, but also by other bases and even the Japanese war zone. If we grow cotton, we can sell it."

Chapter 198 Base Business 2

"Currently, our base not only has grain and cotton, but also many hunters due to its many mountains, and they hunt a lot of game every year. Furthermore, our base is adjacent to the Mongolian tribes. These factors allow us to have a lot of mountain products and goods such as furs. These are rare in other bases. Since ancient times, various trades have been continuous between the Central Plains and the grasslands. Our base is currently located on the trade line between the Central Plains and the grasslands. If we make good use of this, our base can become a transit point between goods from the Central Plains and the grasslands.

"So my idea is to set up a trading company to manage the import and export of our base. The Trade Office stipulates that some important goods, such as grain, cotton cloth, mountain products, furs, etc. within the base, must be purchased by the trading company we set up. As for external goods, in addition to our own base, we also have to do business with the Japanese war zone. The goods purchased from abroad, some important materials, also need to be purchased in a unified manner. The base needs more things, such as Western medicine, medical equipment, ink, paper, and even guns and ammunition. If we can open up such a trade route between the base and other bases and the Japanese war zone, it will not only solve the daily necessities of the people in the base, but also meet the needs of the troops. Once such a trade route is opened, it will not be a small-scale business of these merchants now. Moreover, some goods are strategic materials that must be controlled by us ourselves."

Gao Weinong thought for a moment and said, "What about the merchants in the base?"

"They can continue to do their business, as long as they don't violate the regulations of the Trade Bureau. And our trading company can fully cooperate with these merchants. It's like we purchase grain from the base and sell it through our own channels. At the same time, we can also purchase the things we need outside and use our channels. This is one way."

Another option is to give the grain to these merchants and let them sell it. But we need them to exchange it for what we want. This would provide us with another channel for trade with the outside world. Many merchants have their own channels, and we need to learn how to utilize them and make them work for us. Our goal isn't to monopolize the import and export of these goods, but to control them. We can be more flexible in how we import and export them."

"Political Commissar, do you know that many businessmen doing business in the Japanese war zone might actually be local traitors?

Gao Weinong originally studied business.

Later, he started his own business.

I roughly understood what Wei Hongjun meant by unified purchase and sale.

But this is the first time after all.

Gao Weinong did not dare to be careless about many things. So he still had to clarify some issues. Hearing Gao Weinong's question, Wei Hongjun smiled and said, "I don't care if he is a traitor or not. Even if the target is Japanese, so what? As long as he can give us what we need, what's wrong with doing business with traitors? Seriously speaking, many of the things we want are contraband in the Japanese war zone, and only these traitors can afford to buy them. Besides, if we can establish a relationship with traitors, it will be a good thing for our intelligence department. Through traitors, we can do more things. The Trade Department only deals with business, and the Political Department will investigate who the other party is."

"Then how can we sell the goods purchased from abroad within the base?"

"My idea is to set up several stores under the trading company. We will set up one or two stores in each county of our base area. The military's needs will be directly handed over to the military logistics department. Other civilian goods can be sold in these stores.

“Should these shops be government-run?”

Gao Weinong asked.

Gao Weinong gradually understood what Wei Hongjun meant by unified purchase and sale, and then setting up shops within the base area.

But there are still some details that need to be further inquired.

Wei Hongjun nodded, but then shook his head, saying, "There's no need for mandatory regulations. We can analyze each case on a case-by-case basis. In a place like Sheng County, there used to be quite a few businessmen, but most of them fled after the outbreak of the war. Some of those who stayed defected to the Japanese, and some were so outraged by the public that they were real local tyrants and evil gentry. Although our Eighth Route Army is no longer promoting the policy of beating local tyrants and dividing land, but is instead implementing rent and interest reductions, it's not easy for us to really cooperate too much with these businessmen who are so outraged by the public. In addition, Sheng County is the location of our Eighth Column's headquarters and logistics agency, and the Chanan Special Committee also has its offices here. So the best way is to set up a state-owned store, which will be managed by our troops or local cadres.

"However, in some places, merchants are not strong, and neither are local landlords. But in order to show our sincerity in solidarity, we can invite some local small merchants and landlords to join our store.

They can provide supplies to our stores, or they can wholesale some items from our stores and sell them further afield. We recognize that they can make a reasonable profit. Transportation in our base area is currently difficult, so if merchants in more remote towns and villages are willing to do business and sell these goods, we should encourage them.

"As for some of the areas we're fighting the Japanese for, we can definitely cooperate with local big businessmen and hand over the management to them. They have connections and experience, and might even do a better job than us. We, on the other hand, will need to send some auditors to audit the stores' accounts. At the same time, we must supervise these merchants and ensure they don't use the goods we provide to hoard goods. The purpose of setting up these stores isn't just to make money. More importantly, it's to ensure the daily necessities of the people in the base area and stabilize prices there. If they're just doing it to make money, then they've deviated from our goal."

"Of course, Director Gao, what I said is just theory.

You know I come from a rough background, and I only learned to read after joining the army. These are just my wild guesses. The actual work still requires Director Gao's personal involvement.

Gao Weinong shook his head.

He said with great admiration, "Commissar, please don't say that. If you say you are a rough man, it will shame us intellectuals.

I roughly understand your ideas. However, if this is the case, our Trade Department will have to deal with various departments of the military and logistics agencies. What are the relationships involved?

"Unified purchase and distribution, whether it's military logistics, government logistics, or even local government logistics, are only responsible for the final distribution. We don't interfere with anything else."

"But this will increase the workload of the Trade Office. Including the military, government agencies, and local governments and letting them participate in unified purchase and marketing will motivate them.

Gao Weinong still insisted on his own point of view.

How much profit can be made from unified purchase and sale? Whether it's the military, government agencies, or local governments, profits are the key to motivating them. Wei Hongjun frowned and said, "I understand what you mean, Director Gao. But if our army ever touches on money, it will affect its combat effectiveness."

Historically, in order to solve funding problems, the troops of the Jin-Cha-Ji Military Region began to do a lot of business.

The effect is still very good.

Many units in the Jin-Cha-Yi Military Region were not short of money. They could even support Yan'an when needed. However, a major problem arose.

That means half of the troops are logistics personnel.

These people are in the business of making money.

As a result, various problems often arose during major battles, as the troops were reluctant to part with their jars and cans. They carried them with them, along with a large number of logistics personnel.

The biggest advantage of the Red Army, the Eighth Route Army and the People's Liberation Army is their strong mobility.

However, the Jin-Cha wing had a large number of logistics personnel, which directly hindered the mobility of the field troops. Ultimately, Commander-in-Chief Zhu came to Jin-Cha and personally reorganized the troops, transferring all the trading units to the logistics department. This freed up the field troops, allowing the troops to move forward lightly. This ultimately improved the troops' combat effectiveness.

Wei Hongjun also wanted to guard against this.

Gao Weinong thought for a moment and said, "Political Commissar, each unit must have its own things. Only in this way can they work harder. As for whether it will affect the combat effectiveness of the unit, that depends on how the commander and political commissar arrange it."